KANSAS CITY, Mo. (July 12, 2016) - Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association is proud to honor Dana Tippin Cutler as the first recipient of the Sly James Diversity and Inclusion Award. Given at the 2016 Bench-Bar & Boardroom Conference, this Award is presented by KCMBA and the Kansas City diversity bar associations for a commitment and contributions to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. Kansas City diversity bar associations include: Jackson County Bar Association, Association for Women Lawyers of GreaterKansas City, Asian American Bar Association of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City Lesbian, Gay, and Allied Lawyers, and Hispanic Bar Association of Greater Kansas City. On July 18th , from 5 – 7pm, KCMBA will host an Award Reception, with remarks from Mayor Sly James. The reception will take place at KCMBA Headquarters.

“We are very pleased that long-time KCMBA member Dana Tippin Cutler has been selected to receive the first annual Sly James Diversity and Inclusion Award,” said KCMBA’s Board President Russ Jones. “This award is presented by KCMBA’s Diversity Section and Kansas City’s diversity bar association to a lawyer who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting all aspects of diversity in the area’s legal community. Among her many accomplishments are serving as Chair of the Committee on Minority Issues for The Missouri Bar and twice receiving The Missouri Bar President’s Award for service. We cannot think of a lawyer more deserving than Dana for the first annual Sly James Diversity and Inclusion Award.”

Dana Tippin Cutler is a partner in her family's law firm, James W. Tippin & Associates. She graduated from UMKC School of Law in 1989 and from Spelman College with a B.A. in 1986. Dana is a member of the American Bar Association; Jackson County Bar Association; and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. She currently is President-elect of The Missouri Bar Board of Governors (her term as President begins fall 2016) and is immediate-past President of The Missouri Bar Foundation. She was appointed by the ABA President to serve on the Committee for Professionalism. She was appointed and has served on the ABA Standing Committee for Judicial Independence and The Missouri Bar Trustees. She has served as the Chair of the Committee on Minority Issues for The Missouri Bar and was instrumental in starting The Missouri Bar's Leadership Academy. She has served as legal counsel for the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation and as chair and vice-chair for the KCMBA's Circuit Court & Civil Practice Committee and vice-chair of the Insurance Law Committee. Dana is a three-time recipient of The Missouri Bar's President Award for service. Dana serves on and is currently the vice president of and a past-president of the Board of Curators for Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, a gubernatorial appointment. Her community service includes serving on the Boards of Swope Parkway Health Center and Swope Community Enterprises. Her practice is concentrated primarily in education law (charter and hybrid schools in Missouri) and defense litigation. She is an active member of Concord Fortress of Hope and is the proud mother of three sons Keith, Jr., Dean and Austin Cutler and is the partner, in practice and in marriage, of Keith Cutler, Sr.

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Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association serves approximately 5,000 members in the nine-county Kansas City metro area: Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Platte and Ray counties in Missouri. The mission of this Association is to serve our members and our community by promoting justice, professional excellence and respect for the law.